Automobile number-displaying device.



P. ROBINSON. AUTOMOBILE NUMBER DISPLAYING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11,1910.

UNITED srnrnsrgrnur orrion.

FREDERICK ROBINSON, OF vNEW' YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB/TO SURE NU'MBE l COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

p LAMP A- CORPORATION or NEW regain,l

AUTOMOBILE NUMBER-DISPLAYING DEVICE.

Specification of-Letters Patent. Patented July 11, 1911.

Application filed February 11, 1910. Serial No. 543,329.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it 'known that I, FREDERICK ItoiNsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve# ments in Automobile Number-Displaying Devices, of which the following is a specification. 1g In most of the States automobiles are required to carry their license number conspicuously displayed upon the rear of the machine, whereby said number can be easily detected by a policeman or other officer in case of accident. While no troublehas been experienced in identifying the license num'- ber of automobiles in daytime, if such numbers are of the requiredA size, it is almost im- 4possible to distinguish the number at nightl for the reason that the light is not evenly vdistributed over the surface of the lsign plate.

The object4 of the present invention is to provide a novel automobilenumber display- 2.5.ing device, having a series of reflectors for distributing the rays of a suitable source of: light evenly upon a plate, which is provided with openings representing numbers and characters. r

With these and other objects in View, which will fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of` parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 1'- Figure 1 is a front elevation of an automobile-number displaying device constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2, 2 of Fig. l.

In the drawings, the numeral 5 denotes a boxwhich may be of any suit-able configuration and of" any suitable material. Preferably, the box is made of sheet metal, and provided with a cover 6, which may bel hinged to the body thereof whereby access may be had to the interior of said box. The ends `8 and 9 of the box are provided with brackets 10 and 11, having holes 12 and 13 adapted to be engaged by a chain or other means to be attached to and suspended from the body of the automobile. The front side 14 of the box is provided with openings 15,

15A representing numbers, that is the number of the license, and with 'openings 16, 16 representing characters, indicating the naine of the State or other municipality issuing plate 18, and divides the interior of the box into two compartments' 22l and 23. The comparatively :smaller compartment 22 forms the lamp box, and'is provided in its front wall with an opening 24 covered by a transparent plate 25 and a transparent dangerlight plate 26, preferably red, which is intended to be displayed to the rear of the machine. In this llamp box is arranged a suitable source of light 27, located in the focus of a parabolic mirror surface 28,

which it attachedto the end wall 8 of the A box in any suitableinanner. A hoodv 29 prevents rain, snow, etc., from entering the lamp box, but allows the heat generated by said source of light to eradiate.

The compartment- 23 is provided with a plurality of reflecting' surfaces; more particularly a reflecting surface 30, which is secured to the rear wall of the box, a surface 31, arranged at an angle to the surface 30, and a surface 32, attached to the front wall 14 of the casing and being 'arranged at an s angle to the translucent plate 18. Areflectingl surface 31 is arranged in the compartment 22, and attached to t-he rearwall of the box.

Obviously the reflecting surfaces 28, 30, 31, 32 and 31 may be made of glass in the form of mirrors or other suitably polished metallic plates, etc. The translucent plate y18 is, preferably, made of milk glass serving to bring out the indicating numbers and characters .with great distinctness in daytime.

It is well known that a ray of lightfallioo v ing'upon a plane polished surface of White translucent glass, commonly called milk glass parts. Part ofthe .incident light is reected is after incidence divided into twov CIT from the-surface of the white glass. This reflection is of the mirror-like or regular type.` The amount of light in the reflected ray varies with the angle of incidence. The amount is least whenv the incident ray is perpendicular to the White glass surface, and is then about ten the incident ray.. As the incident ray strikes the glass at amore oblique angle-the amount of the light reflected is greater, until when the incident vray is nearly parallel to the glass surface almost all of the incident light is reflected. Obviously in providing the shield 32 the incident ray strikes the glass at an oblique angle, whereby a great.

- amount of light will be reflected rather than retracted. The other part of the incident ray, which is not reflected, enters the white glass. Of course, some of this lightl is diffusely reected by the white particles of the glass, some is absorbed and the energy turned into heat, while some finds its way entirely compartments, the front wallof one of said compartments having an opening covered by a colored transparent member, and the front wall of the second compartment being per cent. of the intensity of vsaid openings,

lay 4deing the openings 1n saidy second compart.

ment, a parabohc mirror in said first cornpartment, a source'oflight located in the same compartment and in the focus of said parabolicmirror, a pluralityof` reflecting surfaces in both compartments coperatin with said parabolic mirror to reflect the light upo'n said transparent member and' said translucent plate, and a shield insaid second `compartment arranged at an angle to the surface of said translucent plate, and adapted to cut ofl' the direct'rays of said source of light from the portion of said translucent plate adjacent to the shield.

' InV an automobile-number displaying device, the combination with .a box having agjifront wall provided with openings repreq,v senting numbers and characters, of a source of-.light therein, la translucent plate covering a plurality of reflecting surfaces insaid. box, to direct the rays of said source oflight onto said translucent plate and a shield arran 'ed at an angle to the surface of said transicent plate, and adapted to cut olf lthe direct rays of said source of light from the portion of said translucent plate adjacent to the shield.

Signed at New York, in the county of New lYork and State FREDERICK ROBIN SON Witnesses:

SIGMUND HERZOG,

S. BIR'NBAUM.

of New Yorl; this 8th day of February, A. D. 1910. I 1

Ccpies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, byv addressing the"Commissoner of Patents;

`. v Washington, D. C. 

